“Florida is open for business,” Scott told the energized crowd at his victory rally for governor in Fort Lauderdale. “From the bottom of my heart thank each and every one of you for this great victory.”

Alex Sink delivered a concession speech just after 10:30 a.m., immediately after she said she delivered her congratulations to Rick Scott via phone.

Video by Leslie Williams Hale

Supporters waited several hours to see Rick Scott at his election night rally in Fort Lauderdale.

Rick Scott speaks to his rally crowd after 2 a.m. and declares victory in close governor race.

Alex Sink took the stage around midnight to address the supporters who stayed on late into the night to hear from her. With just a couple hundred people still waiting in the ballroom of the Tampa Waterside Marriott, Sink told the crowd she wasn’t ready to give up this “nail-biter” of a race.

Video by Leslie Williams Hale

Alex Sink took the stage around midnight to address the supporters who stayed on late into the night to hear from her. With just a couple hundred people still waiting in the ballroom of the Tampa Waterside Marriott, Sink told the crowd she wasn’t ready to give up this “nail-biter” of a race.

Video by Leslie Williams Hale

Hear from Rick Scott supporters at his rally at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina.

Gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott and his running mate Jennifer Carroll wave to supporters in the early morning hours of Nov. 3, 2010 during Scott's election night rally at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Scott said he is confident he will win the election after all the votes are counted. Greg Kahn/Staff

Daily News

Florida gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott answers questions from reporters on Tuesday morning after marking his ballot at a Naples precinct. Scott, a Naples resident, voted with his wife Ann at Saint Ann's Catholic Church in Old Naples on Tuesday morning. Photographed Nov. 2, 2010. Aaron Hale/Staff.

FORT LAUDERDALE - Alex Sink knew she was fighting an uphill battle in the Florida governor's race, against a national tide of anti-incumbent sentiment and an opponent with seemingly unlimited spending power.

Even as the gap between her and Republican opponent Rick Scott narrowed throughout Tuesday night, there was a threshold to those gains, and Sink knew she could not overcome the remaining 70,000 votes that separate her from Rick Scott.

"Over the course of the evening, and into this morning, my team has analyzed the situation statewide and has concluded that while this is one of the closest elections in Florida's gubernatorial history, there is no path to victory for us," Sink said to a room of reporters and a handful of staff gathered at the Tampa Waterside Marriott. "So, therefore, Rick Scott will be the next governor of the state of Florida."

She delivered a concession speech just after 10:30 a.m., immediately after she said she delivered her congratulations to Scott via phone. But, she said, she also reminded Scott that the race was incredibly close. Sink, at times visibly emotional, and seemingly on the verge of tears, was joined by a somber-looking Rod Smith, her running mate.

Just 10 hours before, Sink told a ballroom full of supporters she was not conceding the election until every Florida vote was counted.

By the time Sink addressed reporters on Wednesday morning, 99 percent of the votes had been counted, and the remaining uncounted ballots numbered fewer than the votes Sink would need just to catch up to Scott. The Republican Party of Florida wasted no time in congratulating Scott, sending out an e-mail congratulating the governor-elect within minutes of Sink leaving the podium.

"He will need to work very hard to bring our state together," Sink said. "Because for the future of our state, I hope Rick Scott remembers that there are 2.5 million Floridians who did not vote for him, and that his highest priority has to be to bring our state together to meet our challenges."

With election returns trickling in late into the night, Sink spent much of Tuesday evening watching election returns with her family in a Marriott hotel room. She acknowledged the emotion of the process at Wednesday's press conference.

"So many people who love our state, and care deeply about our future gave their time, their money, their toil, their sweat, and yes, as of this morning, even their tears, for a successful campaign," she said. "And words just fall short of expressing my gratitude."

Sink's father, Kester Sink, a seasonal Florida resident, said his family is filled with realists, and that approach came through even as the family was holding out hope for a win Tuesday night.

"If the results came in that you're a few votes behind, you accept the fact and go on to the next day," said the elder Sink. "(There was) disappointment, of course, when you've spent the time that my daughter has spent and all of her staff, they're all disappointed, and there were some tears shed. And the end result is usually, things work out for the best, and I wish Florida the best, because I've spent 20 years in Sanibel in the winter, and I love Florida. Florida is a great state, but it has massive problems right now. and I hope this new guy can solve the problems as he promised."

Sink said she is avoiding analyzing the politics of the race -- the negative campaigning and stratospheric spending -- but said Scott's win was probably due to a combination of the nearly $70 million in personal wealth he spent on the race, as well as an overwhelming distrust of government that led to big Republican gains last night.

"It was a tsunami of expression, of distrust, probably, of government," Sink said. "The fact that we came so incredibly close -- less than 100,000 votes -- in this election is really a remarkable statement that so many people believed in me and Rod, and believed in our message, and were willing to cross party lines to make a statement about who their choice for governor was going to be."

Sink sounded a hopeful note, too, saying it is a new day in Florida, and the sun is shining again this morning, as she hopes it will continue to. Capping off that sentiment, an hour or so after the press conference, Sink's staff -- a little weary but otherwise joking and smiling -- gathered on the hotel lobby steps to take a photo together.

POSTED EARLIER

Democrat Alex Sink late this morning conceded the gubernatorial election to Rick Scott of Naples, who will become Florida's next governor. Scott is slated to speak to supporters and the media around noon.

Despite a gap that narrowed steadily throughout Tuesday night, there was a threshold to those gains, and Sink knew she could not overcome the remaining 70,000 votes that separate her from Rick Scott.

"Over the course of the evening, and into this morning, my team has analyzed the situation statewide and has concluded that ... there is no path to victory for us," Sink said to a room of reporters and a handful of staff gathered at the Tampa Waterside Marriott. Just 10 hours before, Sink told a ballroom full of supporters she was not conceding the election until every Florida vote was counted.

She delivered a concession speech today, just after 10:30 a.m., immediately after she said she delivered her congratulations to Scott via phone. But, she said, she also reminded Scott that the race was incredibly close.

"He will need to work very hard to bring the state of Florida together," Sink said. "He must remember that 2.5 million Floridians did not vote for him."

Sink said she is avoiding analyzing the politics of the race - the negative campaigning and stratospheric spending - but said Scott's win was probably due to a combination of the nearly $70 million in personal wealth he spent on the race, as well as an overwhelming distrust of government that led to big Republican gains last night.

"It's been a long, hard road for Rick," said State Rep. Mike Weinstein of Jacksonville, who has been supporting Scott for months. "I'm just glad the commercials have stopped, and we can get to work moving the state forward."

Even as the race tightened, Weinstein said he never doubted Scott would win, but he was worried it could come down to an automatic recount if Sink pulled within 0.5 percent.

State Sen. Garrett Richter said Scott, who lives in Naples, will be good for the entire state, as well as for Southwest Florida.

"It doesn't hurt to have a governor from where you live," Richter said.

Toney Sleiman, 60, a developer from Jacksonville wore the same "I told you so!" T-shirt on Wednesday morning that he had on the night before.

"I'm happy," Sleiman said. "You know what I'm happy for? The people of Florida. Rick Scott is going to be the greatest governor the state of Florida has ever had. The history books will write about how he saved the state that was going downhill."

The crowd gathered at Scott's hotel in Fort Lauderdale cheered loudly when CNN officially announced that Sink had conceded, and laughed when Sink thanked the 17 newspaper editorial boards that had endorsed her campaign.

Sink had repeatedly cited her editorial board endorsements toward the end of the campaign. For his part, Scott did not seek newspaper editorial board endorsements, and refused to meet with them.

Continue to follow this story at naplesnews.com.

UPDATED AT 10:30 A.M.

Members of the media are awaiting Alex Sink, who is supposed to make a 10:45 a.m. appearance at the Tampa Waterside Marriott, where just 10 hours ago she told supporters she would not concede until every Florida vote was counted.

However, with roughly 99 percent of Florida precincts fully reporting, and Rick Scott retaining at lead of at least 50,000 votes, Sink's chances of pulling off a win seem just as far away as ever. Though Scott has said he is confident he won the election, he has held off on giving a true victory speech until Sink concedes.

Check back with naplesnews.com for more on this.

POSTED AT 9:35 A.M.

Rick Scott is clinging to a 68,000 vote lead this morning, according to the Florida Division of Elections website.

All precincts in the state, save for one precinct in Broward County, has finished counting their Election Day ballots, said Jennifer Davis, communications director for the Division of Elections. Palm Beach County – home to the voting fiasco in the 2000 presidential election – finished counting around 4 a.m.

Several of Florida's bigger counties are still hashing through some absentee ballots, including 6,000 in Hillsborough County. Those should be finished sometime today, Davis said.

An automatic recount is triggered when the margin is a half a percent of the vote or less. To trigger a recount, Alex Sink would have to pull within about 26,400 votes.

POSTED AT 9 a.m.

With 99 percent of Tuesday's expected votes counted, Republican Rick Scott is clinging to a razor-thin lead over Democrat Alex Sink.

By Wednesday morning, Scott had 49 percent to Sink's 48 percent of the vote.

But the election was still too close to call: just tens of thousands of votes separated the candidates out of more than 5 million cast.

To trigger an automatic machine recount, Sink would need to cut Scott's lead to 0.5 percent or less. Voters in both parties remained hopeful their pick would prevail after a fiercely contentious and expensive race. Scott put in about $73 million of his family's fortune alone.

The winner will replace Charlie Crist, who eschewed a second term to run for U.S. Senate. He lost Tuesday to Marco Rubio.

Update 2:30 a.m. Wednesday More than seven hours after the polls closed in most of Florida, Rick Scott took the stage at his election night – or morning – rally in Fort Lauderdale.

"I apologize this has taken so long," Scott told the crowd that remained. "I'm glad it didn't rain. Maybe it did. I sat upstairs for awhile watching the news. So thanks for you patience. Let me tell you some good news. Based on the numbers we're seeing now, after all the votes are counted, I am absolutely confident I will be the next great governor of the state of Florida."

Scott took an early lead immediately after polls closed. But as the night wore on, his opponent in the race slowly whittled away at it.

Before he took the stage, hundreds of sleepy, grumpy – and in some cases intoxicated -- supporters looked for places to sit or lay down.

"I don't live in Vegas, but I don't think that (Sink) can get the rest of the votes that haven't been counted," said David Howland of Manatee County, who along with his wife, Babbs, dangled his feet in a nearby swimming pool.

Republican Scott had a 72,000-vote lead over Democrat Alex Sink, a 1.4 percent margin.

Precinct votes still were getting counted in Palm Beach and Broward counties, while five Florida counties hadn't completed their counts of absentee ballots, according to the state Division of Elections office. Those are some of Florida's largest counties: Hillsborough; Miami-Dade; Broward, Duval and Palm Beach.

Update As of 1:45 a.m., Rick Scott still hadn't come out to the campaign rally at a Fort Lauderdale hotel to address supporters still remaining there. Scott had a 72,000-vote lead over Alex Sink, a 1.4 percent margin. Precinct votes still were getting counted in Palm Beach and Broward counties, while five Florida counties hadn't completed their counts of absentee ballots, according to the state Division of Elections office. Those are some of Florida's largest counties: Hillsborough; Miami-Dade; Broward, Duval and Palm Beach.

At 1 a.m., Rick Scott's lead was about 75,000 votes. He had 49.0 percent to Alex Sink's 47.6 percent. The vote count wasn't completed yet in Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties.

Just before 1 a.m., the crowd at Rick Scott's rally in Fort Launderdale grew noticeably quieter – no more dancing, little laughter. Everyone was still waiting for Scott to speak, which a spokesman has repeatedly said could happen any moment.

As the race continues to tighten, the enthusiasm that permeated the crowd at Scott's rally early in the evening has turned to nervous optimism.

After starting Tuesday night with an early lead, Naples businessman and Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott was watching his lead narrow as the count continued into the early-morning hours.

He remained ahead of his opponent, Alex Sink, by about 1.67 percent though, with results not yet final. She declined to concede the election around midnight, and said she would address the contest further today.

Sink, Florida's chief financial officer and Scott's Democratic opponent in the race, was holding out hope that uncounted votes from some of the state's biggest counties in South Florida would still swing the election her way.

At 12:15 a.m., Scott's lead was down to about 87,000 votes as tallies from larger counties trickled in. He had 49.1 percent of the vote to Sink's 47.5 percent. There were 5.2 million votes cast.

"It's a very close and important race, and Rick is very encouraged by the results so far," Joe Kildea, a spokesman for the Scott campaign, said at 11:55 p.m. "When all the votes are counted, we believe Rick will be the next governor of Florida."

Scott hadn't declared victory as of early this morning.

Sink took the stage around midnight to address the supporters who stayed on late into the night to hear from her. With just a couple hundred people still waiting in the ballroom of the Tampa Waterside Marriott, Sink told the crowd she wasn't ready to give up this "nail-biter" of a race.

"We're coming down to the wire in what looks to be a dead-even race," she said in a two-minute speech. "There are still hundreds of thousands of votes to be counted in Palm Beach County, in Broward County, and yes, in Miami-Dade County, and even here in our home county of Hillsborough."

Sink called the race a "classic Florida election," and thanked her supporters for being there.

"Now, we're Floridians, so we know what it means to count every single vote," she said to laughter and applause. "So, this is what we're going to do: we're going to let the people of Florida — all of the people of Florida — have their voices heard."

Scott's supporters were thrilled with the early results, which showed their candidate with a commanding lead. But many realized the race was far from over. They cheered every time Scott's race was featured on large televisions showing Fox News' coverage of the race.

The crowd was still waiting for Scott to take the stage at 12:20 a.m.

"I think it's going to fluctuate as different counties come in, but I think he'll prevail," said Dorene McShea, a Scott supporter from Naples. "At the end of the night, we'll be there."

Nearly 3.5 percent of voters cast ballots for one of the six candidates in the race running on a minor party or with no party affiliation.

Scott hosted his rally at Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina. A large "Let's Get to Work" banner hung behind the hotel between two large screen televisions showing Fox News' election coverage.

Cautiously excited was how 21-year-old Andrew Withers described his feelings as he watched the election returns come in at Scott's election night rally.

"I'm excited the way it's going so far, but I'm nervous it's not a bigger gap," Withers said.

"I think it's going to be close," said Peggy Bernert, 58, of Tampa. "I think he'll win it, but it might go down to a recount."

At the start of the night, a relaxed, smiling Sink said she was ready for anything.

"It's in God's hands," she said. "I'm prepared for the outcome. Obviously, I'm hopeful that the people of Florida have expressed confidence in me and given me the opportunity to lead our state going forward."

As for Scott, less than a year ago, few Floridians knew who the self-described "handsome bald guy" was. But with a seemingly bottomless bank account — Scott's net worth is estimated at more than $200 million — he blanketed the state with television ads touting his business experience and labeling himself a conservative outsider "who is not afraid to upset the apple cart."

Upset the apple cart he did during the past seven months, infusing the race with about $60 million of his own fortune.

Scott's candidacy started a war within the Republican Party. While the Republican establishment overwhelmingly supported Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum in the August primary, Scott's populist message and guy-next-door demeanor lit a fire with the tea party-right, which is fed up with career politicians and politics as usual.

After a bruising primary victory, Scott set his sights on Sink, who was polling well ahead of him in early September.

Scott, who grew up poor in Kansas City, Mo., made his fortune building and heading the hospital giant, Columbia/HCA in the 1980s and 1990s. But while his business background has been his greatest asset in the race — Scott promises to run the state more like a business — it has also been his albatross.

In the mid-1990s, while Scott was CEO, the federal government launched an investigation into the company, which eventually paid $1.7 billion in fines in the largest health-care fraud case in U.S. history. Scott resigned under pressure from the board of directors.

Although Scott was never charged with a crime, both Sink and McCollum hammered him on the issue, saying Floridians can't trust him. Adding to those concerns, Scott once took his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination 75 times during a deposition, and has been accused of being deceptive.

Scott said he takes responsibility for what went wrong, saying he should have hired more internal and external auditors. But he also points out that other hospital companies paid similar fines during what he has described as an industry-wide "crackdown" and game of "gotcha" by the federal government.

Sink, 62, ran for political office for the first time four years ago when she was elected as the state's chief financial officer. She has since pushed for reforms that protect seniors from annuity fraud, and reorganized state agencies in an effort to save money during the financial crisis.

She took hits from Scott during the campaign for not doing enough to protect the state from the budget woes afflicting it, particularly losses to the state pension fund, which she helps oversee with Gov. Charlie Crist and McCollum.

Born in North Carolina, Sink has lived in Florida for 26 years. She lives now in Thonotosassa, outside Tampa, after retiring from the banking industry 10 years ago. At one time, she served as the president of Florida operations for NationsBank, now known as Bank of America.

Update At 11:55 p.m., Rick Scott's lead was down to 89,000 votes. He had 49.1 percent to Alex Sink's 47.4 percent .

"It's a very close and important race, and Rick is very encouraged by the results so far," Joe Kildea, a spokesman for the Scott campaign, said at 11:55 p.m. "When all the votes are counted, we believe Rick will be the next governor of Florida."

Update At 11:52 p.m., the crowd at Alex Sink's rally in Tampa was told she is about to take the stage.

Update At 11:40 p.m., Rick Scott's lead was about 1.9 percent, or about 98,000 votes. He had 49.2 percent of the vote to Alex Sink's 47.3 percent. There were 5.16 million votes cast. The vote count wasn't completed yet in Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties.

Update At 11:25 p.m., Rick Scott's lead was about 2.1 percent, or about 110,000 votes. He had 49.3 percent of the vote to Alex Sink's 47.2 percent. There were 5.12 million votes cast. That was about 85 percent of the vote counted.

After starting Tuesday night with an early lead, Naples businessman and Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott was watching his lead narrow as the night went on past 11 p.m.

He remained ahead by about 2.5 percent though, with results not yet final.

Alex Sink, Florida's chief financial officer and Scott's Democratic opponent in the race, was holding out hope that uncounted votes from some of the state's largest counties would swing the election her way.

More than 80 percent of the vote had been counted by 11 p.m.

At 10:55 p.m., Scott's lead was down to about 2.3 percent, or about 115,000 votes, as tallies from larger counties trickled in. He had 49.4 percent of the vote to Alex Sink's 47.1 percent. There were 5.03 million votes cast.

Just half an hour earlier, Scott's lead was about 3.5 percent, or about 165,000 votes.

Scott's supporters were thrilled with the early results, which showed their candidate with a commanding lead. But many realized the race was far from over. They cheered every time Scott's race was featured on large televisions showing Fox News' coverage of the race.

"I think it's going to fluctuate as different counties come in, but I think he'll prevail," said Dorene McShea, a Scott supporter from Naples. "At the end of the night, we'll be there."

Scott hosted his rally at Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina. A large "Let's Get to Work" banner hung behind the hotel between two large screen televisions showing Fox News' election coverage.

Cautiously excited was how 21-year-old Andrew Withers described his feelings as he watched the election returns come in at Scott's election night rally.

"I'm excited the way it's going so far, but I'm nervous it's not a bigger gap," Withers said.

"I think it's going to be close," said Peggy Bernert, 58, of Tampa. "I think he'll win it, but it might go down to a recount."

About 9:55 p.m., Scott's lead was about 200,000 votes. At the time, he had 50.6 percent of the vote to Sink's 45.9 percent. So crews began to make preparations on the stage where Scott was holding his election-night outdoors gathering in Fort Lauderdale.

At 10:30 p.m., a Sink spokesman took the microphone as the ballroom at the Tampa Waterside Marriott fell silent.

"We have received word that there are 600,000 votes outstanding in South Florida," said Dan McLaughlin, a Sink spokesman. "Alex trails by about 150,000 votes, and those are our counties."

The crowd erupted into cheers, getting noticeably more upbeat after the roughly 400 people in attendance spent the previous several hours in a decidedly sedate state.

At the start of the night, a relaxed, smiling Sink said she was ready for anything.

"It's in God's hands," she said. "I'm prepared for the outcome. Obviously, I'm hopeful that the people of Florida have expressed confidence in me and given me the opportunity to lead our state going forward."

Less than a year ago, few Floridians knew who the self-described "handsome bald guy" was. But with a seemingly bottomless bank account — Scott's net worth is estimated at more than $200 million — he blanketed the state with television ads touting his business experience and labeling himself a conservative outsider "who is not afraid to upset the apple cart."

Upset the apple cart he did during the past seven months, infusing the race with about $60 million of his own fortune.

Scott's candidacy started a war within the Republican Party. While the Republican establishment overwhelmingly supported Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum in the August primary, Scott's populist message and guy-next-door demeanor lit a fire with the tea party-right, which is fed up with career politicians and politics as usual.

After a bruising primary victory, Scott set his sights on Sink, who was polling well ahead of him in early September.

Scott, who grew up poor in Kansas City, Mo., made his fortune building and heading the hospital giant, Columbia/HCA in the 1980s and 1990s. But while his business background has been his greatest asset in the race — Scott promises to run the state more like a business — it has also been his albatross.

In the mid-1990s, while Scott was CEO, the federal government launched an investigation into the company, which eventually paid $1.7 billion in fines in the largest health-care fraud case in U.S. history. Scott resigned under pressure from the board of directors.

Although Scott was never charged with a crime, both Sink and McCollum hammered him on the issue, saying Floridians can't trust him. Adding to those concerns, Scott once took his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination 75 times during a deposition, and has been accused of being deceptive.

Scott said he takes responsibility for what went wrong, saying he should have hired more internal and external auditors. But he also points out that other hospital companies paid similar fines during what he has described as an industry-wide "crackdown" and game of "gotcha" by the federal government.

Sink, 62, ran for political office for the first time four years ago when she was elected as the state's chief financial officer. She has since pushed for reforms that protect seniors from annuity fraud, and reorganized state agencies in an effort to save money during the financial crisis.

She took hits from Scott during the campaign for not doing enough to protect the state from the budget woes afflicting it, particularly losses to the state pension fund, which she helps oversee with Gov. Charlie Crist and McCollum.

Born in North Carolina, Sink has lived in Florida for 26 years. She lives now in Thonotosassa, outside Tampa, after retiring from the banking industry 10 years ago. At one time, she served as the president of Florida operations for NationsBank, now known as Bank of America.

Sink promised if elected to bring her business experience to the governor's office, cutting the budget by eliminating unneeded state office space, trimming middle management positions and cutting down on "re-do" costs such as the repeat incarceration of Florida inmates by improving rehabilitation and job training programs for criminals. At the same time, she has promised to improve public education funding and address pay for state workers, which is lower than the national average.

Earlier

At 10:55 p.m., Rick Scott's lead was about 2.3 percent, or about 115,000 votes. He had 49.4 percent of the vote to Alex Sink's 47.1 percent. There were 5.03 million votes cast.

At 10:25 p.m., Rick Scott's lead was about 3.5 percent, or about 165,000 votes. He had 50.0 percent of the vote to Alex Sink's 46.5 percent. There were 4.83 million votes cast.

At 10:20 p.m., Rick Scott's lead was down to about 3.5 percent, or about 164,000 votes. He had 50.0 percent of the vote to Alex Sink's 46.5 percent.

At 10:05 p.m., Rick Scott's lead was about 200,000 votes. He had 50.5 percent of the vote to Alex Sink's 45.9 percent.

At 9:55 p.m., Rick Scott's lead was back up to about 200,000 votes. He had 50.6 percent of the vote to Alex Sink's 45.9 percent.

At 9:50 p.m., crews were beginning to make preparations on the stage where Scott is holding his election-night gathering.

In Tampa, at Alex Sink's election-night gathering, followers were waiting for South Florida results.

Dennis Maclean let out a loud "woo-hoo" at Scott's election night party in Fort Lauderdale as results on Fox News showed the Naples businessman with a lead over Sink in the race for governor.

"It's going to keep growing," Maclean predicted.

Dorene McShea of Naples also was happy with the early results, but she's expecting a tougher fight as the night goes on.

"I think it's going to fluctuate as different counties come in, but I think he'll prevail," McShea said. "At the end of the night, we'll be there."

Dave and Peggy Bernert stood next to a waterfront bar early this evening at Scott's election night rally in Fort Lauderdale. They're prepared to be there for awhile.

"I think we're in for a long night. I think it's going to be a close race," said Dave Bernert, 59, who is predicting an eventual 3-point win for Scott.

Peggy Bernert, 58, wasn't quite as optimistic.

"I think it's going to be close," she said. "I think he'll win it, but it might go down to a recount."

Dave Bernert, a retired detention sergeant with the Broward County Sheriff's Office, was a lifelong Democrat until February, when he changed his party affiliation to Republican. Peggy Bernert is still a Democrat.

As a retiree, Dave Bernert had time to volunteer on Scott's campaign this summer. He and his wife both gravitated to Scott's small government message.

"The first commercial I saw, I loved the way he talked," Peggy Bernert said. "I said, that's the guy I want. Didn't know anything about him, but I liked his looks."

Scott is hosting his rally outdoors at Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina. A large "Let's Get to Work" banner is hanging behind the hotel between two large screen televisions showing Fox News' election coverage.

Rose and Kevin Roderiques of Tampa drank wine at a table next to the water. They too predicted victory for Scott in a close race, in large part because of an energized Republican electorate.

"One great thing about Barack Obama becoming president is, it woke up a sleeping giant," Rose Roderiques said.

Even as Scott's lead grew to the largest of the night, supporters in a Tampa hotel ballroom were willing themselves into excitement.

As the song "Ladies' Night" came on over the speakers, event emcee Justin Spiller took the stage to pump up the crowd, which was decidedly subdued as it watched news that the U.S. House of Representatives has been taken over by Republican control.

"Where are my women for Alex Sink?" he shouted. "A few counties in South Florida are still not reporting. Alex Sink is creeping up. She's creeping up and over."

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, who has made bold predictions of a Sink win by 4 to 6 percentage points, said those traditionally liberal South Florida counties would make the difference.

"Dade and Broward will decide the governor's election," Nelson said. "Palm Beach is just coming in right now. Where Alex is down in the statewide total right now, it is expected that the margins she will have in Dade and Broward will make up that differential, so it's just wait and see in Dade and Broward."

Earlier

As of 9:40 p.m., Rick Scott's lead had narrowed to 4.5 percent. He had about 50.5 percent of the vote to Alex Sink's 46.0 percent with 3.99 million votes counted. The lead was about 181,000 votes.

As of 9:25 p.m., Rick Scott's lead was its largest of the night, up to about 225,000 votes and he was about 6 percentage points ahead. He had about 51.2 percent of the vote to Alex Sink's 45.2 percent with 3.79 million votes counted. The lead was about 225,000 votes.

As of 9:15 p.m., Rick Scott's lead was up to about 210,000 votes and he still was about 5 percentage points ahead. He had about 51.0 percent of the vote to Alex Sink's 45.4 percent with 3.68 million votes counted. The lead was about 210,000 votes.

As of 9 p.m., Rick Scott's lead was up to about 200,000 votes and he still was about 5 percentage points ahead. He had about 51.1 percent of the vote to Alex Sink's 45.3 percent with 3.5 million votes counted. The lead was about 202,000 votes.

The excitement was palpable at Scott's election party in Fort Lauderdale.

Cautiously excited was how 21-year-old Andrew Withers described his feelings as he watched the election returns come in at Rick Scott's election night rally.

"I'm excited the way it's going so far, but I'm nervous it's not a bigger gap," Withers said.

Withers, a political science major from Florida International University, is an independent who initially planned to support Sink in the race when conventional wisdom had her facing Attorney General Bill McCollum. But the Miami resident took to Scott's message.

"When he jumped in I said ‘I like him. I'll go for him,'" Withers recalled. "He was a newcomer. He was not from the political arena."

* * * * *

The mood at Alex Sink's election night party in Tampa has been tame so far, with a few hundred people milling around with drinks and hor d'oeuvres in hand.

A small collection of people are watching early polling results on CNN, which has already called the Florida U.S. Senate race for Marco Rubio. There is a sense of some resignation in the room based on those results, but it is early yet for the governor's race, where Sink is currently tracking several points behind Republican opponent Rick Scott.

"I don't really watch that until much later in the night," said Ted Serrell, a supporter who is attending Sink's party from his home in Pine Island.

"I think it may be until the wee hours of the morning -- but I think the Democrats will prevail," Serrell said.

"It's nerve-wracking," she said. "It's hard to tell what Floridians will do — but I think her honesty and sincerity will shine through."

Supporters in the Tampa Marriott Waterside ballroom are ranging in demeanor from Serrell's brand of calm, reserved optimism to unbridled enthusiasm for Sink's prospects for a win.

The evening's emcee has just taken the stage, pumping up enthusiasm in order to get more of the attendees into the latter category, shouting into a microphone "are you ready for an Alex Sink win tonight?"

Return to naplesnews.com for updates on the results.

Earlier

As of 8:50 p.m., Rick Scott's lead was holding steady and he still was about 5 percentage points ahead. He had about 50.9 percent of the vote to Alex Sink's 45.6 percent with 3.3 million votes counted. The lead was about 175,000 votes.

As of 8:40 p.m., Rick Scott's lead was narrowing a bit. He had about 50.9 percent of the vote to Alex Sink's 45.5 percent with 3.28 million votes counted. The lead was about 175,000 votes.

As of 8:30 p.m., Rick Scott's lead was growing with each set of returns posted. He had about 51.1 percent of the vote to Alex Sink's 45.3 percent with 3.1 million votes counted.

Earlier

As of 8:20 p.m., Rick Scott's lead had widened a bit to 51.0 percent to 45.3 percent for Alex Sink with 2.95 million votes counted.

As of 8:15 p.m., Rick Scott's lead had widened a bit to 50.9 percent to 45.5 percent for Alex Sink.

Earlier

Rick Scott took the early lead over Alex Sink in the Florida governor's race when the first returns were posted tonight at the state Division of Elections website.

The first results posted around 8 p.m. showed Scott with 50.5 percent to Sink's 46.0 percent. The first results weren't posted until after 8 p.m. because the Florida Panhandle is in a time zone that's an hour later than the peninsula, where voting ended at 7 p.m. Eastern time.

Return to naplesnews.com for updates on the results.

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Naples businessman Scott, 57, who grew up poor in Kansas City, Mo., made his fortune building and heading the hospital giant, Columbia/HCA in the 1980s and 1990s. But while his business background has been his greatest asset in the race — Scott promises to run the state more like a business — it also has been his albatross.

In the mid-1990s, while Scott was CEO, the federal government launched an investigation into the company, which eventually paid $1.7 billion in fines in the largest health-care fraud case in U.S. history. Scott resigned under pressure from the board of directors.

Although Scott was never charged with a crime, both Sink and primary opponent Bill McCollum hammered Scott on the issue, saying Floridians can't trust him. Adding to those concerns, Scott once took his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination 75 times during a deposition, and has been accused of being deceptive.

Scott said he takes responsibility for what went wrong, saying he should have hired more internal and external auditors. But he also points out that other hospital companies paid similar fines during what he has described as an industry-wide "crackdown" and game of "gotcha" by the federal government.

Politically, Scott said he looks up to former President Ronald Reagan, a fiscal conservative who communicated a hopeful message.

"Partially his economic policy changed the country, partially his idea that we should be the number one country in the world changed the world," Scott said during a bus tour last week.

Scott moved to Florida seven years ago and lives in a Naples beachfront home.

As governor, Scott promises to cut taxes and regulations, surround himself with "really smart people, measure the living daylights out of everything, (and) constantly improve."

"We cannot go down the path of California, of high regulation and high taxes," Scott said last week. "We know it doesn't work. We know that (President) Barack Obama's policies of borrowing ourselves to prosperity hasn't worked.

"Our job is, the most efficient way you can do things, that's what we're going to do."

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Sink, 62, ran for political office for the first time four years ago when she was elected as the state's chief financial officer. She has since pushed for reforms that protect seniors from annuity fraud, and reorganized state agencies in an effort to save money during the financial crisis.

She took hits from Scott during the campaign for not doing enough to protect the state from the budget woes afflicting it, particularly losses to the state pension fund, which she helps oversee with Gov. Charlie Crist and Attorney General Bill McCollum.

Born in North Carolina, Sink has lived in Florida for 26 years. She lives now in Thonotosassa, outside Tampa, after retiring from the banking industry 10 years ago. At one time, she served as the president of Florida operations for NationsBank, now known as Bank of America.

Sink promised if elected to bring her business experience to the governor's office, cutting the budget by eliminating unneeded state office space, trimming middle management positions and cutting down on "re-do" costs such as the repeat incarceration of Florida inmates by improving rehabilitation and job training programs for criminals. At the same time, she has promised to improve public education funding and address pay for state workers, which is lower than the national average.